In the golden age of newspapers, a picture was said to be worth 1,000 words, but with print media in decline in reading and the rise of insta-centred lives, that estimate seems very modest.
So what is a smile worth in a picture? Should the profile picture of your institution’s academic stars be smiling, or looking sober and relentlessly work-focused, in order to best engage stakeholders? Does a smile suggest weakness or frippery, particularly if you are lower down the social or occupational pecking order – or does it indicate that you are less cranky and difficult than others?
When high-achieving Flinders University Research Dean Professor Raj Shekhawat to ask the Xverse (formerly Twitterverse) whether he should choose a broad smile or a serious expression for his professional bio pic last week, he prompted plenty of interest.
The exuberant audiology academic posted three images of himself, and asked whether it was better to look sober and serious, or instead to capture the frequently-smiling face he usually presents to the world?
Colin Stirling has many human treasures tucked away in Adelaide bolt-holes, but few are better prepared to deliver a master class in higher education engagement and leadership than Raj Shekhawat.
The question of whether to smile or not in a bio pic is merely a precursor to a range of other insights that Professor Raj has gleaned on his personal mission to better engage with the wider world – including effective HDR recruitment methods, novel approaches to industry collaboration and an authentic commitment to collegiate engagement that go far beyond the job description of the average academic.
We are delighted to be featuring a talk from Professor Raj at the HE FEST conference in Adelaide, called New Ways to Engage – capitalising on being human., examining tools and techniques that all staff members can consider to improve their engagement. The conference runs from 12-13 September and Early Bird tickets close today.
